Braden Lansing
Braden Cole Lansing is a supporting character in the Beauty of the Dark series. He is first mentioned in the series’ eponymous debut before appearing in the sequel Where There Is Light. He is the older brother of Jesse Lansing and the biological father of Tristan Rourke. Early Life Braden Cole Lansing was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1989. Removal from Family When he was four, his mother, who was suffering from a psychotic break as a result of post-partum depression and untreated bipolar disorder, was afraid that she would lose Braden and his younger brother as a result of their father having her committed. In attempt to avoid this, she took Braden one day and left home with him. Exposure and Abuse Due to her bank account being flagged as a result of abducting her son, his mother was desperate for money, and they soon met a man who offered her a modeling job and a place to stay for the meantime which she eagerly accepted. However, this quickly turned out to be a scam as he blackmailed her into prostitution by threatening to kill her and Braden if she did not do so. During this time, Braden witnessed the physical and sexual abuse of his mother at the hands of her pimp, an event that scarred him psychologically as this formed his understanding of sexual relationships between men and women and that abusing women was acceptable. One night, he and his mother attempted to escape but were caught by her pimp. While his mother pleaded for Braden to be set free, her pimp denied this and beat her to death in front of Braden. After her death, the group relocated and Braden was taken in by his mother's pimp who manipulated and brainwashed him into believing that his mother did not love him in order to fuel his hatred and rage toward women. He then groomed him and taught him that women were inferior to men and that they were there to control and that if they didn't obey they were to be punished. Plot for Revenge At 21, Braden was in charge of a successful underground prostitution ring. When he began to wonder about his estranged father and brother, he traced their location to Amherst, Virginia and discovered that they were fairly wealthy. Angered not only by their success but by the fact that they didn't seem to care about him enough to try to find him, Braden began to plot revenge against his brother out of jealousy for getting the life that he should've had. Braden then quietly moved to Amherst under an alias and acquainted himself with his brother's girlfriend Charlotte in attempt to gain information about Jesse which he could use against him. One day, Charlotte told him that Jesse broke up with her and that her prom was ruined now just like her relationship. After seeing how upset Charlotte was, Braden then revealed that he knew Jesse and was in town to get some "good, old-fashioned revenge" on him. He then proposed they work together to get their revenge on Jesse. Charlotte declined the offer at first, saying that knowing Jesse was going to get screwed over was good enough for her. A day later, Charlotte came to Braden and told him that she wanted in on his revenge plan and that the best way to get to Jesse was to get to his best friend Emery because he cared about her more than he did about himself. After Charlotte made a joke that suggested Emery was still a virgin, Braden decided that he would take her virginity in order to ruin her and thus ruin Jesse. However, because he didn't trust Charlotte not to get cold feet or tell anyone, he lied and told her that they would only make it look like she was assaulted. The assault took place the night of prom. After a ploy to get Emery outside alone worked, Braden ambushed Emery from behind and forced her into the back of his van (the car next to Jesse's) where he raped her for ten minutes before fleeing the scene in an unknown car (later revealed to be Charlotte's). Braden then fled town. When Charlotte learned that Braden had actually raped Emery, she became wrecked with guilt. Braden, sensing this, threatened that he would take her down with him if she told anyone. Charlotte, knowing that her future was something she wouldn't risk, agreed. He eventually met Noel Parker and the two became acquainted. Discovery of Child In Early April 2015, Braden visited Noel at the latter's strip club, where he was stunned to see Emery working at the club. Braden asked Noel about her, to which Noel said she came into town four years ago pregnant and looking for a job. Braden then realized that he had gotten Emery pregnant and asked what became of the baby, to which Noel informed Braden that Emery had given the baby up for adoption. Upon learning this, Braden began plotting how to get his child back and decide that the easiest way was to go through Emery. Braden asked Noel to help him with this. At first, Noel was hesitant given his feelings for Emery. However, after she rejects him, he agrees to help Braden. He then threaten/blackmails her into giving up the location of their child. In The Novels |-|The Beauty of the Dark= |-|Where There Is Light= Personality With learned philosophies such as "a man could take what he wanted" and "women are toys for men to play with", Braden became a product of male supremacy and dominance. Due to the abuse that he witnessed toward women, he became aware of the ideology that men were superior to women and that women were there to be used up. Such notions led to him becoming a leader of his own prostitution ring as well as abusing his own girls. In particular, when Braden crosses paths with Emery in relation to Jesse, he decides to sexually assault her because in his eyes, doing so is a power move against not only Emery, a woman, but Jesse. Physical Appearance Relationships Appearances Name First *'Braden' is a masculine name of Irish and Gaelic origin that means "broad valley". Middle *'Cole' is a masculine name of English origin that means "swarthy, coal-black, charcoal". Last *'Lansing' is a surname of English origin that means “family or followers of”. Trivia *The amount of time that passes before he encounters Emery again is about the same amount of time that Jesse doesn't make contact with Emery either. Quotes Tropes Gallery Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Supporting Characters Category:The Beauty of the Dark Characters Category:Where There Is Light Characters Category:Lansing Family Category:Parents Category:Incarcerated